Baseball: Mundy delivers another gem for Exeter in 3-1 win over Central

Friday

Apr 25, 2014 at 2:00 AM

EXETER — James Mundy was fighting his mechanics. He was up in the zone and in trouble in the second inning following back-to-back walks, which put runners on first and second with no outs.

RYAN O'LEARY

EXETER — James Mundy was fighting his mechanics. He was up in the zone and in trouble in the second inning following back-to-back walks, which put runners on first and second with no outs.

But escapability is in the DNA of Exeter High School's senior pitcher. His latest gutty performance on Monday added to his ace-like start to the Division I baseball season.

Mundy, springing off the mound to snare a popped-up bunt attempt, was in the middle of a rare 1-6-3 triple play in the second inning. He also went seven strong innings for the second time in a week. Mundy scattered four hits, escaped a few key jams and led the Blue Hawks to a 3-1 win over Manchester Central in Exeter.

Through two starts, Mundy has allowed just one run over 14 innings pitched. He has an ERA of 0.50, a WHIP of 0.786 and 18 strikeouts (1.29 per inning).

"It feels great," he said. "I like to compete, I like to win, so whatever I can do to help the team win, that's what I want to do."

He did it with a little help on Monday, with no play bigger than the triple play he started with a sliding basket catch at the base of the mound. The two Central base runners were off on the botched bunt attempt, and Mundy — after holding up the ball for the umpire — fired a strike to shortstop Colin Graham, who stepped on the bag and alertly gunned the third retreating runner down to first baseman Henrik Barbin.

"I was surprised I caught it, because I just got this glove," Mundy said of the play. "It's not really broken in yet. I turned around and the kid was on third base, basically. I just threw it to second and didn't even think. I think that's how I made such a good throw, I wasn't even thinking about it."

"It was the best way the play could have gone," Exeter catcher Ty Mezquita said. "Perfect throws all the way around and everyone had a good effort on that play. It was great."

Mundy wound up walking four and striking out six for the complete-game win. He beared down in two other key moments: the third inning, when with runners on second and third, Graham made a ranging play toward the bag to protect a 2-0 lead; and the sixth, when a two-out triple brought the tying run to third and Mundy induced an inning-ending fly ball to Dylan Fandrich in right.

"With James on the mound we definitely feel confident," said Exeter senior Ryan Kelly, the third baseman who finished 1-for-1 at the plate, walked twice and scored two runs. "He definitely controls the game. He keeps the ball in the strike zone. It's a lot of grounders, a lot of pop-ups. There's not too many line drives. It's a lot of easy outs."

Mundy's been the kind of leader the Blue Hawks were expecting for a staff they feel goes five or six deep. His velocity and command are noticeably better than last year, when he pitched six innings in the Division I championship game to help the 11th-seeded Blue Hawks overtake Londonderry, 3-2, for their first state title in 32 years.

He showed that same unflappable presence on Monday, when after a few wild spells he set down nine consecutive batters in the middle innings.

"We were surprised," Exeter coach Kevin McQueen said, "he's into the sixth inning and he's only thrown 71 pitches. Frankly, it seemed like more than that, because it seemed like he was behind some guys a lot. But he's pretty good about being able to get behind a guy and then just battle back and be unfazed by what's going on. He's pretty good that way."

The Blue Hawks got three hits and two RBIs from leadoff hitter James Peel, including a key, two-out double in the sixth that padded Exeter's lead to 3-1.

Central (2-2) had the tying run aboard in the seventh following a one-out walk. With his pitch count mounting and Christian Devine ready in the bullpen, Mundy worked back from a 3-0 count for a strikeout, then closed the game on a fly ball that Peel secured with a backpedaling play in deep center.

"He's having a hell of a year so far," Mezquita said of Mundy. "His command of his pitches has gotten better. He struggles here and there, inning to inning, but his command has been fantastic. His pitches really complement each other and keep batters off balanced."

The bottom of the order helped produce some two-out magic in the second inning off Central ace Collin Duffley. Chris Deranian shot a single to center and Kelly drew a walk, and the Blue Hawks got both runs home with back-to-back singles from Fandrich and Peel.

Central scored its lone run in the fifth, getting its first base runner in 10 plate appearances on a dribbler to third base. The runner reached second on a hurried throw to first and scored on Duffley's triple to the right-field corner.

Exeter finished with eight hits, paced by Peel's 3-for-4 day. Barbin, Kelly and Chris Henry also had singles in the win.

"I think we're making progress," McQueen said of the effort. "That's the challenge against the Monday guys. Whoever (opposing teams) throw out as their first guy, you have to go out there and compete as best you can. Sometimes they make it hard on you."

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